Three NHL storylines are sitting in very different places right now, but they all point to the same hard truth: what looks clear in the moment can change fast once roles, timing, and reality start pushing back.
Start with Evander Kane, whose next move could be the kind of low-commitment swing teams make when they still believe there’s a player worth betting on. His year with the Vancouver Canucks didn’t land the way many expected, but that doesn’t mean the door is shut.
A professional tryout would fit the moment. It would let a team see whether there’s still enough left without locking itself into anything long term.
Winnipeg is the obvious place to watch. Kane still has size, grit, and enough skill to be useful if he’s deployed properly.
He’s turning 35 soon, and the numbers from last season weren’t eye-catching, but he still helped in ways that matter, including shots and meaningful minutes. If the Jets want depth, veteran bite, and some secondary scoring, and if Kane is willing to accept a smaller role, a PTO could be a sensible gamble.
The Maple Leafs situation is murkier, even after John Chayka tried to put some calm around it. He said he saw a “happy captain,” and also said that Auston Matthews takes pride in being Toronto’s captain and wants to win there.
That sounded reassuring enough for a lot of fans. But it still didn’t answer the central question.
There was no real clarity on an extension, no timeline, and no firm indication of how long Matthews is locked into the picture. Matthews himself said he can’t predict the future, and that’s where things stand: the big answer hasn’t arrived yet.
This season matters, sure, but next summer is the real checkpoint. That’s when there will be only one year left, and the pressure around the story will get much louder.
Then there’s Edmonton and Darnell Nurse, a deal that made sense when it was signed and looks very different now. The Oilers moved him earlier this offseason, even though he still had four years left on a contract carrying a $9.25 million AAV. To understand why that happened, you have to go back to how the extension came together.
Ken Holland handed Nurse that long-term deal after his 2020-21 breakout, a season boosted by a shooting percentage that didn’t hold up. Around the league, the market for big defensemen was also rising, which helped shape the price.
Edmonton was dealing with Oscar Klefbom’s injury situation too, and that created pressure to find a real top-left No. 1 defenseman. If Klefbom had stayed healthy, Nurse probably would have been asked to fill a more normal role, and the Oilers would have had more room to work with, likely at a smaller cap hit.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Have A Goalie Decision Fans Should Be Watching
Artur Akhtyamovs name is getting harder to ignore around the Maple Leafs organization after his standout playoff run with the Toronto Marlies. He helped the AHL club capture the Calder Cup and was named Playoff MVP, which only added to the sense that Toronto has a real goaltending prospect on its hands. His brief NHL look was much less polished, but the larger picture is still one of a young goalie with talent and room to grow.
That is where the next decision gets interesting for Toronto. Akhtyamov is viewed as a promising netminder, but he is also blocked by the current NHL tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz, leaving the Leafs to weigh development against roster needs. How they choose to handle him could say plenty about both their long-term goalie planning and how quickly they think he can help at the top level. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have A Cheap Top Six Fix After All
Vladimir Tarasenko is still sitting out there as an unsigned free agent in early August, which is enough to keep his name in the conversation for a Maple Leafs club that could use another scoring threat in the top six. Toronto has been looking for ways to add offense without making a major splash, and Tarasenkos track record makes him an obvious fit on paper as a player who could add depth alongside Auston Matthews if the price and term make sense.
The catch is the same one that has followed this possibility all summer: the Leafs would need to make the finances work, and Tarasenko would likely have to meet them partway on salary or length of contract. His recent performance has been uneven, so this is not a clean, no-brainer add, but it is exactly the kind of lower-cost swing that can matter if Toronto wants to squeeze more scoring out of its roster without changing the whole shape of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]